Tune du Jour: “Redemption Song” – Bob Marley and The Wailers
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Eddie Vedder and Beyonce vs. Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer vs. Sinead O’Connor vs. Playing for Change feat. Mersman Kenkosenki and Stephen Marley
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What could you say? Such a phenomenal song! Among my two or three favorites of Bob Marley. Ah, screw it, it is my favorite Bob Marley song!!!
The Original
Bob Marley and The Wailers:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Eddie Vedder and Beyonce vs. Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer vs. Sinead O’Connor vs. Playing for Change feat. Mersman Kenkosenki and Stephen Marley
Yeah, good luck voting on which is best!
And when you have a spare hour or two, also check out the fantastic versions by The Specials, The Selector, Stevie Wonder, The Chieftains and Ziggy Marley, Jackson Browne, and Bob Geldof and Steven Van Zandt, as well as about 50 other great renditions. Hell, even Yannick Noah acquits himself pretty well on this masterpiece!
Eddie Vedder and Beyonce:
Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer:
Sinead O’Connor:
Playing for Change feat. Mersman Kenkosenki and Stephen Marley:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On!??!
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
cover me impressed 
The video for Bob’s version is so enchanting, trippy and dreamlike … it made me wishing I had been dosed-up on special K before taking it in …
Well, if the “Wild Horses” post was the best of 2025, this”Redemption Song” post will be very hard to top in 2026.
I actually teared up watching these videos. The tears started with the clip of Nelson Mandela; such a strong, eloquent and passionate man speaking so forcibly on the injustices of the world … juxtapose the beauty of Mandela with the daily, hourly and minute-by-minute, sheer, mad and demented inhumane bellicosity of donald trump and what self-respecting individual wouldn’t shed tears?
For some reason Pearl Jam never struck a chord for me (and I am still a bit perturbed with the sheer mediocrity of their collaboration with Neil … note to Neil … stick with Crazy Horse!) but I have quickly grown to love Eddie Vedder’s solo work. His collaboration with Beyonce is beyond beautiful and as I listened to it I very nearly jumped down immediately to cast my vote in their favor.
Johnny and Joe … what could you say? These guys were meant to collaborate on this song. Just beautiful coordination and interplay with such obvious mutual respect for one another and their spiritual subject matter.
Wow, Sinead … with hair … never realized what a beautiful woman she was! Her passion and the fine backup help delivered a fantastic interpretation! Funny that, apparently, they were originally going to play something different. I guess the other song got Wally Pipp-ed on this one!
It is simply amazing how consistently brilliant the Playing for Change productions are. I have watched so many of them by now and have yet to not enjoy a jaw-dropping, first-rate performance. And it must have been such a rush for Stephen Marley to be participating on his Dad’s seminal work!
Ridiculous to have to choose one among these four tour de force efforts. Spun the bottle and it pointed to Sinead, with her forceful ending to the song sealing victory by a hair (yeah, again, love that hair …)!